How to Stage Your Own Kid Olympics

First, make a score sheet listing all the events.

{Some ideas for events are 100 meter dash (1 lap around backyard), 200 meter dash (2 laps), 100 Hurdles (1 lap), 400 Hurdles (4 laps), 3000 meter steeplechase (7 laps), long jump, shot put (basketball), javelin (mop handle unscrewed from mop), fencing (play swords), trampoline, cycling, basketball shooting, and a baseball home run derby. }

Have children choose their countries and color their flags

Get out a children's atlas and use it as a reference for flag designs. (Lauren picked China as her country.)

Tape flags onto old tent poles or short wooden dowels.

Help younger kids make their flags. (Bennett wanted to be Team USA.)

Allow older children to make up their own country and flag. (Here is Lowden with his flag of "Scout-topia".)

Take cute pictures of your kids with their flags. (Parker chose The Bahamas as his country!)

Prepare the backyard for the event by...

Having your husband make PVC pipe hurdles. Add some sand inside them to help them stay down.

Put a foot of water in the kiddie pool for the steeple chase.

Have children practice their fencing.

Have one parent be the announcer, commentator, official, and scorekeeper.

The other parent can be the Olympic photographer, spectator, and cheerleader.

Stage your own Olympic opening ceremonies...

Have your children do the Olympic flag march around the backyard. (Be prepared for chaos.)

Have the youngest child redo the Olympic flag march by himself due to fit that he threw during the first march. Laugh when he does a Hie-hitler type march.

Place all flags in flowerbed during the Olympic events.

Demonstrate how to do the events properly.

Videotape your children running their events.

Have "official" record times on score sheet.  Make age adjustments: in timed running events multiply each kid's time by their age - older kids will have to go REALLY fast to win.  In distance events (throws, jumps) divide each kid's distance by their age.  This way the older, stronger kids don't win every event and the playing field is level.

(Here is Lauren running the 100 meter dash. She later was announced the winner of this event with Lowden in 2nd place, and Parker in 3rd place.)

Laugh when your child, who is representing the island nation of the Bahamas, does the hula before the 200 meter dash. (Bennett was the winner of this event, with Parker and Lauren taking 2nd and 3rd respectively.)

For the shot put event, use a basketball.

(Lowden was the 1st place winner of this event, with Parker and Bennett taking silver and bronze.)

Allow youngest child to get through hurdles however they can. (Final result 100 meter hurdles- Lowden 1st place, Parker 2nd place, Lauren 3rd place)

Take a picture of your child mid-jump during the 400 meter hurdles.

Have a child be assigned to picking up the hurdles that get knocked over.

(Final results 400 meter hurdles: Parker 1st place, Bennett 2nd place, Lowden 3rd place.)

During events when their is more than one lap, have one child be the bell ringer when the participant is on the final lap.

Have Bob Costas, AKA your husband, announce the results so far.

Allow children to bask in the glory of their wins.

For the steeplechase, have children do 7 laps around the yard jumping over hurdles and into the pool as they go around. (Parker makes a big splash in this video!  Don't miss his armpit pumping technique.)

Finish the rest of the Olympic events another day...